THE LEGEND OF KIWAKAAZI

After shouting he was going to defeat Aran, Kiwakaazi attacked Aran again. He swung the kafunde from left to right and from right to left. He attacked Aran from above and attacked Aran’s abdomen. Aran was very careful. Aran was too skilled and Aran was too experienced. Aran ducked, Aran jumped, Aran moved his body left and right. Aran did everything possible to avoid getting cut by the kafunde. What Aran did not know was that Kiwakaazi was not swinging the kafunde for the fun of it.

Kiwakaazi swung the kafunde again from left to right. Aran moved his head backwards but eventually took a step backwards. Kiwakaazi attacked again from right to left this time aiming for Aran’s abdomen. Aran jumped backwards and after Kiwakaazi attacked vertically from above to crush Aran’s head, Aran took another step and realized there was no more room behind him. He had been backed into a corner. A tree stood in his path and his back was pressed against it. Kiwakaazi thought, ‘I got you now, pompous Aran.’ He attacked Aran’s neck with the tip of the kafunde.

For a moment there Kiwakaazi saw Aran smile again. He sensed it. Aran had more tricks up his sleeves. Instead of the kafunde piercing through Aran’s neck, it drilled the tree behind Aran. Aran disappeared at the very last minute, appeared behind Kiwakaazi and once again marked Kiwakaazi’s back with his sikan dompesan – a horizontal cut that ripped opened Kiwakaazi’s back and drew blood. Kiwakaazi screamed.

Kaki was still on her knees. Physically, all her wounds were healed but internally, she was still very weak and still very much in pain. But after hearing Kiwakaazi scream, her eyes glowed red. She summoned more strength from within and tried to get up. She slowly lifted her right leg and planted her feet on the ground. After that, she started panting and thought, ‘Hang on Kay, I am coming.’

Meanwhile, Kiwakaazi realized there was no way he was going to defeat Aran without more power. Aran was right. He was more experienced than Kiwakaazi. He was more skilled and now he had the advantage of being quicker. Kiwakaazi did not stand a chance.

There is one thing you must know about the Kafunde – it was a weapon forged to kill and to destroy. Even the user of the sword was at risk. The guardian of hell is triggered by emotions like fear, anger, worry and their kind. Every time a person changes into a rahasi under the influence of the sword, he or she is plunged into darkness. Inside the darkness, it is believed the sword begins to slowly cut the golden cord that holds the soul to the body. When finally the cord is severed, the user can no longer return to his or her body.

But if the handler of the kafunde can change the key that triggers the rahasi transformation, then, he or she can avoid this fate of early death. Kiwakaazi knew the risk associated with using the kafunde. He could go berserk and kill everything in his path including Kaki. He did not want to harm her. Travelling with her, he wished he was powerful enough to not need her help. He would even love to protect her. He only wanted her by his side – something he simply did not comprehend. But this was not the time to hold back. He repeated a mantra he had been working on when the time comes to release more power from the kafunde (demon mummifier); a mantra to strengthen his will power and it goes like this:

“Fear not the darkness or the evil perceived to dwell within it. Fear not the shadows that form around the light. Fear not, for you have the light with you. The evil one like a roaring lion seeks for your soul to devour but he cannot for your soul is all light and the darkness cannot comprehend it. You are victorious for you did not fear.”

Kaki felt it. There was quite some distance between her and Kiwakaazi but that did not stop her. Her head changed into the beautiful face of the princess she was and she screamed “Kay don’t! Using that power will kill you!” She thought, ‘Why…? Why won’t my body move?’

Kiwakaazi’s entire body became covered with black fur; thick black fur that covered his body from just below his neck to his feet. Around his wrist were colored dots; red, yellow and green and the same colored dots lined up across his chest. He withdrew the kafunde from the tree and turned. He stared into Aran’s eyes and Aran stared into his eyes too. His eyes remained dark brown with an orange ring around his pupils. Kiwakaazi screamed out loudly and disappeared.

Aran went on his knees and held his sikan dompesan horizontally above his head. Kiwakaazi appeared and struck Aran’s weapon with the kafunde. Aran turned left with the sikan dompesan still above his head and again Kiwakaazi appeared and attacked Aran’s sword. Aran quickly turned left again and for the third time Kiwakaazi attacked Aran’s sikan dompesan from above. All this happened in less than three seconds. Aran slowly rose to feet and turned back sharply. Kiwakaazi was behind him breathing in and out very quickly. Aran smiled and they both disappeared.

Kaki smiled. “He has done it. He has tamed the kafunde.” There was no need to worry too much. She whispered, “Don’t overdo it Kay. Don’t get yourself killed.”

Aran and Kiwakaazi both appeared. Aran’s sikan dompesan swinging from right to left and Kiwakaazi’s kafunde held vertically on his left. The two weapons clashed and made clanging sounds. Kiwakaazi threw a right punch and struck the left side of Aran’s face. Aran was thrown towards his right and on all fours went the great Arangosango shinko. He rose to his feet and smiled revealing blood in his mouth. He spat out blood and laughed. He said, “Impressive!” and disappeared.

Kiwakaazi held the kafunde with just his left. After Aran disappeared, he wrapped his right palm around the kafunde and held on confidently. Aran appeared on Kiwakaazi’s left. Kiwakaazi quickly moved the kafunde towards his left. It blocked Aran’s sikan dompesan. Kiwakaazi held the kafunde vertically and moved it quickly to either to his left or right while he took steps backwards to avoid getting cut by Aran’s sword.

Aran suddenly jumped and attacked Kiwakaazi from above. Kiwakaazi held the kafunde over his head horizontally and still with both arms. But the force behind Aran’s attack was too strong and was able to force Kiwakaazi to his knees. When both Aran’s feet were on the ground, he attacked Kiwakaazi’s chest with his right foot and knocked Kiwakaazi over. Kiwakaazi fell on his back and disappeared immediately. Aran had jumped and planted his sikan dompesan into the soil where Kiwakaazi was lying. The sword cracked the earth. Aran withdrew his sword and looked straight ahead into the eyes of panting Kiwakaazi.

Kaki was not close to the action at all. She was still able to follow the battle with her senses. She whispered, “Good, Kay. You are learning. You are learning very quickly.”

Both Kiwakaazi and Aran disappeared. When they appeared, their weapons only collided and made clanging sounds and then they disappeared again. This was how the battle now proceeded. They were both disappearing and appearing at safe distances to attack. Kaki could barely keep up with their movements. It was fast and exact. She sensed they were both trying to predict when and where the next appearance would be made. It was now a battle of mental acuity and speed.

Who could have known just the type or types of algorithms the two geniuses were using in their heads to make these predictions. How fast they had to solve them and the kind of parameters they were using to solve their algorithms.

This went on for quite some time. In between the appearances and disappearances, calculated attacks were made and after a while, both Aran and Kiwakaazi were covered with cut wounds that were healing. Still Aran had the upper hand.

Aran disappeared and appeared on Kiwakaazi’s left. He must have figured out that the young intruder was predominantly left handed, and, lacking enough battle experience, weakening his left hand will tilt the battle even further in his favor. But just as he made his appearance, Kiwakaazi swung his sword. Aran’s sword was airborne aiming for Kiwakaazi’s left hand when Kiwakaazi cut through Aran’s arm that held his weapon – his right arm.

Kiwakaazi immediately disappeared and appeared further away from Aran. Aran screamed so loudly that the trees and the very ground shook. While he screamed, he turned into a shinko.

“He has finally revealed his real face. The real battle begins now,” said Kiwakaazi.